COLUMBUS, Ohio – After drawing a “little better than expected” attendance figure of 8,345 for the promotion’s latest event, World Extreme Cagefighting General Manager Reed Harris said a return trip to Columbus, Ohio, is now likely.

Saturday’s event, “WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz” at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, marked the WEC’s Ohio debut and also now ranks as the fifth-highest event attendance in WEC history.

Following the show, Harris told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the WEC is likely to host another show in Ohio in 2011.

“It’s a great possibility we’ll be coming back next year,” Harris told MMAjunkie.com in a post-event interview.

The WEC’s Buckeye State debut had two things working in its favor. First, the show coincided with the Arnold Sports Festival, a three-day sports and fitness exhibition that was held the same weekend as WEC 47 next door to Nationwide Arena at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Secondly, the UFC had already hosted three successful shows (from 2007-2009) during the Arnolds.

“[The UFC] came into this market and definitely laid the ground work for us,” said Harris, who also credited a very friendly local media who had been exposed to the UFC brand in recent years. “The UFC is obviously the juggernaut, and I think people who came to our show tonight who are familiar with the UFC knew the kind of quality production and the kind quality of event that the UFC had done here and that they could expect the same with the WEC.”

Although official attendance figures and a gate total won’t be known until the Ohio Athletic Commission confirms the figures later this week, Harris estimated approximately 7,000 of the night’s 8,345 tickets were purchased, which is a solid 84 percent of all seats. (Nationwide Arena can accommodate more than 19,000 fans, which UFC 68 drew in 2007, but the WEC used a modified seating configuration.)

If the 8,345 mark sticks, it’ll mark just the fifth time the WEC has topped the 8,000 attendance mark in its nine-year history.

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